Bondage

Hello,

Decided to have a go at forming my own opinion about the issue since its becoming more and more pertinent these days. I'm hoping it'll prompt you to reexamine/reaffirm your stand on the issue.

The Issue:

In short, scholars breaking bonds.

The Scholar Side:

Its a contractual agreement. By paying the bond-breaking fee, one has fulfilled the contractual obligations.

Its for my own good. Future is brighter elsewhere.

The Government Side:

Its a moral obligation. A scholarship is more than a contract, its awarded based on a non-contractual promise to serve the public after one's education.

Its selfish. You are depriving others who are more deserving the chance of furthering their education.

The Point:

The crux of the issue then, is whether breaking a bond is immoral. There are several schools of thought at this juncture(see below for links). I find myself agreeing with the opinion that it is relative. Meaning, it is immoral if during the signing of the bond, the scholar views the scholarship as a moral obligation. By breaking it, the scholar breaks a promise he/she made, which by conventional wisdom, is immoral. On the other hand, a scholar who views the scholarship as nothing more than a contractual agreement is not bound by any moral obligations.

The Other Point:

A far less examined issue, which I feel is rather important, is the lack of equality between the scholar and the scholarship provider at the point of signing the contract. True, no one is holding the scholar at gun point. Nor is the scholarship board withholding any terms of the bond from the scholar. But how fair is it to ask a scholar to commit to a job 4 years in advance? How can one accurately know where their professional interest lie before experiencing it first-hand in university? Plus do you really want scholars who are not interested in the public sector as the future leaders of our country?

The Real Point:

Regardless of whether bond-breaking is moral or not. I think the government is barking up the wrong tree. In this day and age, expecting your scholars to fulfill their bond by means of moral blackmail is akin to asking them to work for you because otherwise, they'll feel bad. If you want the best people, you have to offer the best terms. Offer peanuts, and you get monkeys working for you.

The public sector is not the private sector, there are fundamental differences separating the two. As such, its an uphill battle for the public sector to compete head-to-head with the private sector for top talents. Unfortunately, the competition is unavoidable. World class city means world class competition. We should be glad that our talent is attracting global interest. Reducing the number of overseas scholarships or badmouthing bond-breakers only serve to push talents away from the public sector. Chopping the wings of our scholars or sending them on guilt trips are lose-lose strategies.

Compete on the same terms. Fight fair.

Further Reading:
Is Breaking a Scholarship Immoral?
Of Scholars and Bonds
Government Responses
Of Bonds and Bondage


I really shouldn't have drank that cup of coffee...

Goodnight
JS